Victim’s lover tells of gang rape

THE boyfriend of a woman who was allegedly gang-raped by three men in the city centre in May last year told the high court yesterday that he had tried to flag down passing cars while he waited for police to come to his aid, but nobody had stopped to help.

The man, whose name cannot be published as this could reveal the woman’s identity, said he is still currently involved in a relationship with the victim.

He told Judge Leona Theron and assessors that he and his girlfriend had just left McDonald’s in Burger street on the night of May 2 last year when they were accosted by seven men who drew knives. He fled in the direction of Boshoff Street while his girlfriend ran back the way they had come.

While being chased by two men with knives, he looked back and saw her being led away by three men.

The man said he turned back to try to see where they were taking her, but when he tried to follow he noticed others “keeping guard”.

He saw the men take his girlfriend into a “dark” road and realised that if he followed them they would injure him.

He then called the police on his cellphone. “I waited for the police, but it took some time before they arrived.”

He said he had, meanwhile, tried to stop cars that drove past but nobody stopped.

When the police arrived, he had set out to look for the victim and her attackers, beginning the search in the street leading to Mediclinic, where he last saw her. Eventually they came across them.

By the time the van reached her, she was in the company of only one man who was holding her by her hand.

“When the van stopped she started screaming, saying they are raping me,” he testified.

The police arrested the man in her company and took her to locate the other two suspects. They were also arrested.

The woman identified the three accused on trial as her rapists in evidence on Monday. She told the court that each of them had raped her twice, and she was also forced to have oral sex with the men.

The accused — Sibusiso Innocent Gwala (30), Lindokuhle Mlaba (18) and Siyabonga Sibisi (19) of Imbali — have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

Mlaba said in a statement that he had sex with the woman by consent on the night in question.

He was linked to the woman by way of his DNA, according to a document handed to the court by the state.

In another development in the trial yesterday, Theron authorised a warrant for the arrest of a policeman from the Local Criminal Record Centre, Inspector RE Mollentze, who allegedly refused to attend court at the request of the state.

State advocate Ian Cooke led evidence by the investigating officer, Inspector Z A Mgobhozi, who confirmed that he had contacted Mollentze on his cellphone on Monday and told him he was required to give evidence in the high court.

Mollentze responded that he would not do so as he had not been subpoenaed, and further stated that “he will not come unless a warrant of arrest is issued for him”, said Mgobhozi.

The judge authorised a warrant for his arrest, but the police were apparently unable to locate him to execute the warrant at lunchtime yesterday.

The case is proceeding.

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